SINGAPORE – A 33-year-old man will be charged on Tuesday over allegedly filming a protected place with a drone.

In a statement on Monday, the police said they received information on June 9 in the afternoon that a drone was being operated in the vicinity of Brani Terminal, a commercial port designated as a protected place under Singapore law.

Protected places are restricted areas in Singapore where only authorised people may enter.

A drone was recovered and found to contain multiple video recordings of Brani Terminal. The drone operator was identified after investigations, with the aid of digital forensics, the police added.

The man will be charged on Tuesday with the criminal offence of prohibited photography of a protected place using an “unmanned aircraft”, or drone.

If found guilty, he may be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.

There has been a steady stream of drone flying offences in the last three years.

In 2020, 20 drone operators were arrested in the span of three months for illegally flying their drones within 5km of Changi Airport, prompting Changi Airport Group to beef up its countermeasures.

In 2022, a construction company was fined $22,000 for flying a drone in public areas without a permit.

The police advise members of the public to refer to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore’s website for more details on the rules governing drone flying in Singapore.